The present invention relates generally to optical power limiter devices, and more particularly to a radioactively biased optical power limiter which utilizes energy from a radioactive source to lower the local electromagnetic field necessary to incur nonlinear optical effects in an optical power limiter.
The invention provides controlled passive limiting and/or switching of electromagnetic energy using the energy of particles emitted from a radioactive source to lower the nonlinear/switching threshold at the focal plane of an optical power limiter. A cell of nonlinear material is located at a common focal plane between two positive lenses and radioactive source material is selectively introduced to controllably modify the electromagnetic field level necessary to cause optical nonlinear effects.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a radioactively biased optical power limiter having controlled passive limiting and/or switching of electromagnetic energy.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an optical limiter having low nonlinear/switching threshold utilizing a radioactive source.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an optical power limiter having minimum local electromagnetic field necessary to incur nonlinear optical effects.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description of representative embodiments proceeds.